Defense attorney Theresa Bliss said Edwards, employed as a waterman at the time of the crash, had been a diabetic for 20 years and was suffering from a diabetic attack and low blood sugar when it happened.

She said that he has had a stroke and has had a leg amputated since the accident and is now in a wheelchair.

“His life has changed radically over the last year,” she said.

A driver’s education teacher was in Tasley teaching her students how to navigate the roundabout there when her car was struck from behind by a Ford pickup truck.